Route 138

Route 138
Name	Route 138
Type	State highway
Length mi	Varies
Maint	Multiple agencies
Terminus a	Varies
Terminus b	Varies
States	Multiple

Route 138 is a numbered highway designation that appears in multiple jurisdictions across North America and elsewhere, serving as arterial, collector, and rural links in diverse transportation networks. It connects urban centers, suburban communities, and rural locales, interfacing with interstate systems, national routes, and local roads while traversing varied landscapes near rivers, coastlines, and mountain passes.

Route description

Route 138 corridors traverse urban and rural environments, linking municipalities such as Los Angeles, Boston, Montreal, Providence, Hartford, Palo Alto, San Francisco, San Diego, Rochester, New York, Buffalo, New York, Albany, New York, Newark, New Jersey, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Texas, El Paso, San Jose, California, Sacramento, California, Oakland, California, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Halifax, St. John's, Kingston, Ontario, London, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx, and many county seats. Along its alignments, Route 138 intersects major facilities and landmarks including Los Angeles International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Port of New York and New Jersey, Erie Canal, Hudson River, Long Island Sound, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Colorado River, Columbia River, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, Bering Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Death Valley National Park, Zion National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Glacier National Park, Badlands National Park, and Acadia National Park.

History

The designation of Route 138 has roots in early 20th-century road numbering schemes and mid-century expansions influenced by agencies such as American Association of State Highway Officials, Federal Highway Administration, Ministry of Transport (Quebec), Massachusetts Department of Transportation, California Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Maryland State Highway Administration, Texas Department of Transportation, and municipal agencies. Historic alignments evolved alongside projects like the Interstate Highway System, the U.S. Numbered Highway System, the Trans-Canada Highway, and provincial route networks. Major historical episodes affecting Route 138 corridors include the Great Depression road programs, World War II mobilization logistics, post-war suburbanization linked to the GI Bill, the 1970s energy crisis, and late 20th-century infrastructure legislation such as the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.

Major intersections and termini

Route 138 alignments connect to principal arteries including Interstate 5, Interstate 95, Interstate 90, Interstate 80, Interstate 70, Interstate 40, Interstate 10, Interstate 35, Interstate 55, Interstate 25, Interstate 15, Interstate 405, U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 66, U.S. Route 20, U.S. Route 2, U.S. Route 50, U.S. Route 30, U.S. Route 101, U.S. Route 2 (Washington) and national links such as the Trans-Canada Highway. Termini often occur at junctions with state capitals, ports, ferry terminals, and border crossings near Canada–United States border, Mexico–United States border, Peace Arch Border Crossing, Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Rainbow Bridge, and urban ring roads like Belt Parkway, Long Island Expressway, Merritt Parkway, Henry Hudson Parkway, FDR Drive, Central Artery, Big Dig, and Boston Harbor approaches.

Traffic and usage

Traffic patterns on Route 138 segments reflect commuter flows to employment centers such as Silicon Valley, Wall Street, Financial District, Boston, Downtown Los Angeles, Chicago Loop, Houston Museum District, Dallas Arts District, Miami Beach, Orlando, Seattle Center, Vancouver Downtown, Montreal Downtown, and seasonally to destinations including Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach, Outer Banks, Lake Tahoe, and Banff National Park. Usage includes freight movement serving Union Pacific Railroad yards, BNSF Railway intermodal terminals, CN (Canadian National Railway), CP (Canadian Pacific) corridors, and port interchanges, as well as transit connections to agencies like Metra, Caltrain, MBTA, GO Transit, AMTRAK, VIA Rail, MARTA, SEPTA, WMATA, Sound Transit, and municipal bus networks. Safety and congestion issues have prompted interventions by organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and advocacy from groups like American Automobile Association and Transportation for America.

Related routes and designations

Route 138 is associated with auxiliary routes, business loops, spurs, and historical alignments designated by state and provincial authorities including Business Route 138, Alternate Route 138, Spur Route 138, and county-numbered variants maintained by entities such as Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, Kings County Department of Public Works, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and other local agencies. It interfaces with numbered highway grids like State Route 1 (California), Massachusetts Route 3, New York State Route 9, Connecticut Route 2, Rhode Island Route 10, Maryland Route 2, and Canadian designations including Quebec Route 138.

Future developments and improvements

Planned projects affecting Route 138 corridors include capacity expansions, interchange reconstructions, corridor safety upgrades, multimodal improvements integrating light rail, bus rapid transit, cycleway networks, and transit-oriented development coordinated with agencies such as Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Caltrans, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, Transport Canada, Metrolinx, and regional planning bodies like Southern California Association of Governments and Northeast Corridor Commission. Funding and policy drivers include federal infrastructure initiatives under administrations referenced in legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and partnerships with organizations such as the Federal Transit Administration and private stakeholders including port authorities and metropolitan planning organizations.

Category:Roads